Magnums at Pioneer and target damage in general

Recently there has been some dialog around what you can or can't shoot at the Pioneer Silhouette range.  Here we go on the slippery slope which as I researched the material for this post, is not that slippery at all.

The club rules state you cannot use Magnums on the Silhouette range.  Well, that kinds snubs all those who shoot 44 Rem Mag, 357 Magnum and .22 Magnum.  .22 Magnum would be the very easiest on the thick animals and I would rather have those rounds fired at steel than a 45LC.

From the NRA rule book under 3.1.3., 2 a. is states:

Any lever action rifle with a tubular magazine. A rimmed pistol cartridge loaded with a round or flat nosed bullet must be used, i.e. 25-20, 32-20, 38’s, 357 Magnum, 38-40, 44’s, 44-40, 45 Colt, 45 Long Colt, .22 Magnum and .22 long rifle.

It goes on to state in rule 3.1.3 c.

Ammunition may be loaded with smokeless or black powder, using jacketed or cast bullets, with or without gas checks. All bullets must be round or flat nosed suitable for tubular magazine use. Any cartridge causing target damage or deemed unsafe may be banned.

It is all about target and target stand damage.  We just want the club property to last for the other shooters who have followed the request of the match director.

There is no reason to run with ammo that damages the rails and/or animals.  Although popular, I will not allow use of XTP (eXtreme Terminal Performance) bullets.  There are too many other options and these bullets are designed to be explosive on impact on live game, and not intended for steel targets.  Hitting the rail with such force that it knocks down all 10 animals is also a queue that perhaps you have a bit too much flame under that bullet.  I fight hard to keep match fees down with an eye to promoting shooting sports in NH. A $15 match fee to cover target damage would likely discourage new shooters.  As you ready for the 2015 season, develop a load that does not damage targets.  Keep in mind, PSI borrows Purgatory and Pemi steel to host the regional.  I will not return damaged or cratered animals.

If you use factory loads, figure out how to get downloaded ammo.  Factory loads are loaded hot so John Q. public thinks they have "the good stuff".  My 30-30 hand loads using hand cast bullets shot a group at 100y that was half the size of factory jacketed bullets.  You reload to not only save money but also to produce higher quality ammo...that won't damage the targets.